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Best New Lodges For 2018

We always remember — and celebrate — the first time something happens. Who was the first person on the moon? Who was Britain’s first female Prime Minister? These names go down in history. And though it’s on a much smaller scale, you do make a little piece of history when you stay at a brand new hotel or lodge. The staff remember the first person to walk through the door, the first guest who made them smile, the first family to arrive and fill the place with laughter.

As that privileged first guest, a new lodge opening is also a very special experience for you. Your feedback will shape the way the lodge is run in the future; you’ll be a pioneer, setting a trend for the adventurous travellers who follow you. Everything you touch, everything you try, will be brand new.

There are some incredibly exciting new properties opening in Africa this year, and as a guest of Africa Exclusive you can be one of the first people through the door.

For groundbreaking wine lovers, the opening of the year has to be La Cle Country Lodge in South Africa. When the doors swing open in February 2018, 10 guests will have the honour of staying on this picturesque working vineyard. You’ll be secluded from the outside world, but with everything you need for an unforgettable time. The concierge will organise a wine tour for at a local winery, and you’ll have the chance to taste lesser-known wines whilst listening to live music. In between, feel free to discover the glorious natural surroundings while on a nature walk or bicycle ride.

In March 2018, Dinaka Camp in Botswana will open for business just as the annual rains start to pour down. The desert landscapes will be transformed almost overnight by the sprouting and flowering lush greenery: the land is being reborn. Out here in the wilderness there is absolutely no light pollution at all. One of the main attractions of Dinaka Camp will be the chance to to sleep out under the African star lit sky, where nothing will disturb you at all. The quiet, the solitude, and the space are all part of the charm.

Around Easter time we’ll be sending our first guests to Sossus Under Canvas in Namibia. This semi-permanent camp will only be available on an exclusive basis, and its season will run between April and November. The camp is set within the private 24,000 hectare Neuhof Nature Reserve, a natural buffer against the desert which supports a high concentration of hartebeest, Burchell’s zebra, kudu, springbok, and bat-eared fox. There are leopard, cheetah, and spotted hyena, too.

Sossus Under Canvas is inside a natural granite amphitheatre and will offer just eight tents, two of which are suitable for families. Pricing will be tiered depending on the number of guests, and highlights of a stay here will surely include a hot air balloon ride over the dunes as Namibia wakes up.

We don’t yet have an opening date for the Four Seasons on Desroches Island, but it is one of the year’s most hotly anticipated openings and a real boon for the Seychelles. This private island resort has 18 km of immaculate white sand beaches spread around its coastline, so you can live out your castaway fantasies on a walk, then return to the lap of luxury in time for lunch! Expect Four Seasons’ renowned levels of service, attention to detail, and stylish design, all set within this tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean.

Every holiday Africa Exclusive creates is tailored for you from scratch so we can guarantee that your itinerary and the choice of properties will the perfect match. To be the first guest to visit one of 2018’s most extraordinary new lodges, call us today on 01604 628979.

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One of the leading Africa travel specialists for over 25 years, our team has hundreds of years of combined travel experience.

Our specialists have a personal understanding of the destinations they are recommending for you.

You will have your travel planner and a dedicated co-ordinator ensure that you receive the best service from the moment you first contact us until you return from your holiday.

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Luxury safari pricing guide

We aim to provide you with your ideal holiday, individually designed just for you and expertly organised. When you book with us you receive this perfectly designed holiday, travel advice and preparation, flawless organisation of the trip, ATOL financial protection and our 25 years’ experience. Because we have excellent confidential rates with lodges and airlines, the price of your holiday will be generally the same as you would pay were you to somehow book all the lodges, transfers and flights yourself.

There is a world of difference between one of our tailormade safaris and most package holidays printed in a brochure. Package holidays are usually designed to be as cheap as possible and of course involve large numbers of people doing the same thing. Our safaris use small, more exclusive and remote camps usually with guests flying in, and often virtually everything is included in the price. The experience is completely different.

Many of these small lodges and camps have broadly similar prices, and it is possible to arrange a superb safari holiday for between £6,000 to £10,000 per person ($8,000 – $13,000) season dependant, all inclusive. Realistically it is difficult to reduce that figure, and by including Botswana in peak season, chartering a private plane, disappearing to some magical desert island, or flying at the front of the plane it’s easy to substantially increase that figure!